Faculty practice: nurse educators' views and proposed models

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Faculty Practice Models
• Healthcare Workforce Research

Background:

• Faculty practice remains a debated topic among nurse educators, lacking a clear consensus on its definition, purpose, or implementation.
• Understanding the current landscape of faculty practice is crucial for advancing nursing education and clinical integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore nurse educators' concepts of faculty practice.
• To identify the motivations and methods behind faculty practice implementation.
• To determine differences in faculty practice perceptions between Associate Degree (AD) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) educators.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide survey was conducted with a random sample of 909 AD and BSN educators.
• The survey aimed to elicit definitions, purposes, and implementation strategies of faculty practice.
• Data analysis focused on identifying common themes and differences between educator groups.

Main Results:

• Sixty percent of surveyed nurse educators currently practice nursing, primarily to maintain clinical skills.
• Lack of time was the most cited reason for the 40% of educators not engaged in practice.
• No significant differences were found between AD and BSN educators regarding faculty practice definition, implementation, or motivation.

Conclusions:

• A consensus definition and conceptual models for faculty practice were developed based on survey findings.
• The study delineated three models: Nurse-Researcher, Nurse-Clinician, and Nurse-Consultant.
• Findings provide a foundation for understanding and standardizing faculty practice in nursing education.